Pavement Primary Response Using Influence Function and Peak Influence Function

Abstract

It was identified in previous research that errors in theoretical damage much associated with the influence function calculation. Thus, this paper present the efficient prediction of primary response due to dynamic vehicle loading using influence function and peak influence function approach. In order to provide the realistic loading condition, dynamic road response model with idealised loads representative by mathematical quarter-truck model with two degree of freedom was excited by a random road surface profile which equally spaced points along the simulated road with various different speeds. Consequently, the simplified computational approach (peak influence function method) was identified only a few points gave a small different compare with the influence function method for along the longitudinal distance. In order to identify the impact of both methods, further implementation was done to calculate fatigue damage (horizontal tensile strain at the bottom of a bound layer) or rutting damage (vertical compressive strain at the top of the subgrade layer) predicted by constant load moving at varies speed. It was found that the differences in response are particularly small and increased steadily as the increasing of the vehicle speed. It was conclude that the simplify calculation was able to predict stresses and strains sufficiently accurately and identified relatively small errors into the pavement damage prediction. Hence the simplification in particular much reduced the computation time sufficiently and minimized the computer resources significantly.